Rocker recliner chair

ABSTRACT

The chair back is reclined independently of movement of the footrest which is operated by a handle. Detents associated with the handle mechanism allow the footrest to be extended and retracted into any four positions including fully extended, fully retracted and two intermediate positions. As the back is reclined, the seat and arms which constitute a unit, are first tilted to a predetermined &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;bucketing&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; angle by the locking mechanism, forward rocking is inhibited then rearward rocking is also prevented by the novel locking mechanism. The locking mechanism mounts on the underside of the cam frame, between the cams and works off a torque tube that moves angularly about its long axis as the footrest is operated and which moves forward and upwardly and rotates angularly as the chair back is reclined. The seat and frame unit also move forwardly and upwardly as the chair is reclined. In the preferred form, the chair is a platform rocker; it may also be mounted on a swivel platform rocker base. The back is provided with tapered sleeves which fit over tapered tongues on the mechanism to allow the chair to be shipped knocked down, and then set-up. The footrest includes two sections which store one behind the other when retracted, then move to coplanar relationship as the footrest is extended to its first position to provide greater extension. The lazy tongs action of the footrest extending and retracting part of the mechanism is skewed to permit exposed front rail and/or high leg styling for the base. The design of the mechanism permits a particularly cushioning seat filling to be used.

United States Patent [191 Rogers, Jr. et al.

111 3,819,229 [451 June 25, 1974 ROCKER RECLINER CHAIR [75] Inventors:W. Clark Rogers, Jr.; Morton Snitzer, both of High Point, NC.

[73] Assignee: The Lane Company, Inc., Altavista,

[22] Filed: Mar. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 124,055

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.87.280. Nov. 5,

1970, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 297/84 [51] Int. Cl A47c' 1/035, A470 3/02 [58] Field ofSearch 297/224, 84, 85, D16. 7,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,388 12/1957 Knabuschet a1. 297/DlG. 7 3,141,700 7/1964 Fletcher 297/D1G. 7 3,163,464 12/1964Martin et a1. 297/271 3,243,226 31 1966 Km 297/271 3,287,059 11/1966Rosmarin 297/84 3,302,969 2/1967 Mizelle et a1. 297/D1G. 7 3,337,2678/1967 Rodgers, Jr 297/84 3,352,601 11/1967 Cycowicz.... 297/2703,359,034 12/1967 Re 297/85 3,475,051 10/1969 Crawford... 297/2713,493,264 2/1970 Re 297/84 3,536,284 10/1970 Chickering, Jr. 248/2243,537,747 ll/l970 Rodgers, Jr 297/271 3,572,820 3/1971 Ferguson 297/84Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-G. Moore Attorney,Agent, or FirmCushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT The chair back isreclined independently of movement of the footrest which is operated bya handle. Detents associated with the handle mechanism allow thefootrest to be extended and retracted into any four positions includingfully extended, ful1y retracted and two intermediate positions. As theback is reclined, the

' seat and arms which constitute a unit, are first tilted to 7 long axisas the footrest is operated and which moves forward and upwardly androtates angularly as the chair back is reclined. The seat and frame unitalso move forwardly and upwardly as the chair is reclined. In thepreferred form, the chair is a platform rocker; it may also be mountedon a swivel platform rocker base. The back is provided with taperedsleeves which fit over tapered tongues on the mechanism to allow thechair to be shipped knocked down, and then setup. The footrest includestwo sections which store one behind the other when retracted, then moveto coplanar relationship as the footrest is extended to its firstposition to provide greater extension. The lazy tongs action of thefootrest extending and retracting part of the mechanism is skewed topermit exposed front rail and/or high leg styling for the base. Thedesign of the mechanism permits a particularly cushioning seat fillingto be used.

1 Claim, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUNZSIHH SHEET 2 [IF 7 W C'LflH/fHopes/min.

H w hm M 3% M Ml PAIENTEDJUNZSIBM sum 5 or? PAIENTEUJUNZSIGM siEtIsuHINVENTORS W a/mw POGf/ZS', (Lil 7. Mara/v S/w 7.2 5/7 ROCKER RECLINERCHAIR REFERENCE TO RELATED CASE This is a continuation-in-part of ourcopending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 87,280, filed Nov. 5, 1970, nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION To a certain extent the precursors of modernrocker recliner chairs come from diverse fields surgical, barber anddentist chairs, automotive and aircraft seating, chaise lounges andother lawn furniture as well as living room-type easy chairs.

The number of such chairs which have been patented in the United Statesis extensive, although many of those patented since 1950, were issued torepeat patentees and are directed to variationson their earlierpatenteddesigns.

A list of the prior U.S. Pats. of which the present inventors are awarehas been filed in the US. Pat. Office concurrently with this document.In view of the extensiveness of this art it is considered more helpfulto discuss the various types of modern chairs by group.

Certain platform rockers outwardly resemble rocker recliner chairs, buttheir backs are unitary with their seats and/or arms and so cannotrecline. They merely tilt back.

Likewise, certain recliner chairs do not include cams mounted on a baseand so cannot rock, but only recline.

A further distinction may be drawn between chairs which have operatinghandles (or equivalent operating devices such as push-pull rods,mechanical push buttons or electrical switches) and those which have nocomparable devices. In the former instance, the handle or equivalentdevice often acts merely as a lock operator; in other instances itconstitutes an operator for extending and retracting the footrest and/oran operator or trip for lowering and raising the back.

In recliner chairs which do not have operating handles, generally, thereclining and footrest operating portions of the linkages areinterconnected so that reclining of the back causes extension of thefootrest and raising of the back causes retraction of the footrest.

Another distinction may be drawn between modes of mounting and movingthe seat. In some rocker recliner chairs the seats are pivotally mountedto the arm frame, the chair back and/or the cam frame. In this context,pivoting is intended to be interpreted in a narrow sense ofpart-circular arcuate movement about a fixed pivot point. Pivotedmounting of the seat is to be contrasted with fixed of combinedtranslational and rotational mounting of the seat. One instance whereinthe distinction is emphasized is the Knabusch et al. US. Pat. No.3,096,121.

In most instances where the seat is pivotally mounted, reclining of theback causes the chair users center of gravity to be shifted rearwardlyto an appreciable extent. Because of this shift, such chairs are usuallyprovided with back legs which extend rearwardly from under the base andare exposed behind the base, e.g., six inches. Such legs are usually adead give-away that the chair is a recliner. This, of course, restrictsstyling treatments which may be given such chairs. The rearward shiftalso increases the distance the chair must be positioned from a roomwall so that the top of the back will have sufficient clearance duringreclining.

The least elegant way to design a rocker-recliner chair is to take anexisting recliner chair and provide it with rocker cams and a platformbase. Several problems result from such design economy one important onebeing that there is nothing to prevent the chair from continuing to beable to rock after it has been reclined. The feeling an unwary user ofsuch chairs can have upon fully reclining then rocking back, forinstance in a continuing motion, is nothing less than very startling.Particularly in chairs whose seats tilt buck or move back duringreclining, the permitted rocking during reclining can easily result in afrightening falling over backwards of the chair and its occupant.

An improvement on the complete lack of a lock is the provision of a lockwhich is operated manually, e.g., via a push-pull rod. These, of course,may have the disadvantage that a new user may not notice the handleuntil he has already reclined himself over backwards.

in locks which operate in coordination with exten- 'sion of the footrestor reclining of the chair, often only forward rocking is inhibited. Thisis for complex reasons involving a lack of mechanism in such chairs tobucket the user to a comfortable angle for reclining as an initial partof the reclining movement and a need to prevent the user from putting somuch of his weight on the forward parts of his thighs, near the insidesof his knees, that the retracted footrest is jammed into the floor,preventing reclining and/or desired footrest extension.

It is not difficult to see that locking mechanism designs of prior artrocker recliner chairs have imposed strict styling limitations on suchchairs, both as to reducing the prospects for exposed wood styling andas to imposing such upholstering constraints that the resulting productslook stolid and/or have poor seat comfort because the seat must bedesigned so it does not travel vertically very much as someone sits orbounces on it. With some prior art rocker recliner chair lockingmechanisms, it is difficult or impossible to provide a swivelablevariant because the parts of the base the lock works off would have toremain stationary as the remainder of the chair moved angularly, orbecause parts of the recliner mechanism would interfere with the baseduring swivelling.

in most recliner chairs and rocker recliner chairs which have footrests,lazy tongs or more or less equivalent mechanisms are used to extend andretract the footrests, which are usually constituted by one unitaryottoman (exclusive of skirts or shrouds). Accordingly such footrests areusually either misnomers (because they contact the average user at theback of his calves above his ankles) or they must extend so far that thelazy tongs are laterally unstable and/or are heavy and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The chair back is reclined independently ofmovement of the footrest which is operated by a handle. Detentsassociated with the handle mechanism allow the footrest to be extendedand retracted into any four positions including fully extended, fullyretracted and two intermediate positions. As the back is reclined, theseat and arms, which constitute a unit, are first tilted to apredetermined bucketing angle by the locking mechanism, forward rockingis inhibited then rearward rocking is also prevented by the novellocking mechanism. The locking mechanism mounts on the underside of thecam frame, between the cams and works off a torque tube that movesangularly about its long axis as the footrest is operated and whichmoves forward and upwardly and rotates angularly as the chair back isreclined. The seat and frame unit also moves forwardly and upwardly asthe chair is reclined. In the preferred form, the chair is a platformrocker; it may also be mounted on a swivel platform rocker base. Theback is provided with tapered sleeves which fit over tapered tongues onthe mechanism to allow the chair to be shipped knocked down, and thenset-up. The footrest includes two sections which store one behind theother when retracted, then move to coplanar relationship as the footrestis extended to its first position to provide greater extension. The lazytongs action of the footrest extending and retracting part of themechanism is skewed to permit exposed front rail and/or high leg stylingfor the base. The design of the mechanism permits a particularlycushioning seat filling to be used.

The principles of the invention will be further hereinafter discussedwith reference to the drawings wherein preferred embodiments are shown.The specifics illus trated in the drawings are intended to exemplify,rather than limit, aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings FIG. 1 is aperspective view of a preferred embodiment of the rocker recliner chairof the invention; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the chairshowing one of the two opposite side linkages of the chair, the onewhich carries the operating handle. In the condition depicted, thefootrest is fully retracted and the chair back is upright;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the chair showing the sidelinkage of FIG. 2 in the same condition;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of thechair showing the lock when the footrest is fully retracted and thechair back is erect;

FIG. 4a is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the lockdepicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the chair showing the sidelinkage of FIG. 2 in a condition wherein the footrest is fully extendedand the chair back is erect;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the chair showing theside linkage of FIG. 5 in the same condition;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of thechair showing the lock when the footrest is fully extended and the chairback is erect;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the chair showing theside linkage of FIG. 2 in a condition wherein the footrest is fullyextended and the chair back is fully reclined;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a variant of the preferred chair baseequipped for 360 swivelling;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the box channel endmounts of the variant of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the left side linkageshowing a modification viewed with the footrest raised to its secondintermediate condition.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view.

from the inner side, of the left side linkage. the one which mounts theoperating handle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT THE PLATFORM ROCKERBASE The rocker recliner chair 10 includes as major components: aplatform rocker base 12, a rocker cam unit 14; left and right platformrcker springs 16, which are conventional units; a lock mechanism 18;left and right side linkages 20, 22, which are mirror image complementsof one another, excepting that the left side linkage (facing the chair)includes additional elements for footrest operation; a torque tube 24extending transversely between the side linkages; a chair back 26; achair seat and arm frame unit 28; a proximal footrest portion 30 and adistal footrest portion 32, which together constitute a footrest 34. Theremainder of the chair 10 consists of various connecting upholsteringand framing elements which are ancillary to the major components.

As depicted, the platform rocker base 12 includes two horizontal,longitudinally extending, laterally spaced side rails 36. The uppersurfaces 42 of the side rails are smooth, flat and horizontal as theyare the surfaces upon which the rocker cams run. The base I2 furtherincludes a front rail 44 which extends laterally between the side railsnear their front ends and a rear rail 46 which extends laterally betweenthe side rails near their rear ends. In the embodiment depicted, thefront and rear rails extend laterally outwardly beyond the side rails afew inches in order to provide mountings for left and right outriggers48. The outriggers underlie the side edges of the seat and arm frame andcarry front and rear feet 38, 40 for the chair. It should be noted thatthe rear feet do not protrude rearwardly anywhere near as much as therear feet of most commercially available rocker recliner chairs. Theavoidance of protrusion stems from the manner of hanging" the seat andarm frame from the rocker cam unit as will be apparent later on.

The outriggers provide stability for the chair, especially if someonesits on one of its arms, and provides an area which may be decoratedwith show wood, i.e., attractive veneers or solid fruit wood, nut woodor molded styrene or the like for instances where the upholstering stylefor the seat and arm frame does not include skirts.

Note now that the front rail 44 is mounted on edge, so that it isrelatively thick in a vertical direction. This is because, duringbucketing, the front skid of the lock obtains purchase against the frontrail intermediate the side rails (but closer to one of them).Alternatives to mounting the front rail on edge would be to attach afloor engaging support block to the front rail underlying the contactregion of the front skid or to mount the front rail so it engages thefloor along its whole extent.

THE ROCKER CAM UNIT In the preferred embodiment the rocker cam unitincludes two rocker cams 50, being a left one and a right one eachhaving a compound curved arcuate lower surface 52 configured to supportthe rocker cam unit on the upper-surfaces 42 of the side rails 36. Theattitude and curvature of the cam surfaces 52 determine the rate ofdeviation from horizontal while rocking, the ease of rocking duringoperations where rocking is not fully inhibited, the attitude of thechair when it is upright and no one is sitting in it, andtabsent theprovision of other constraints) the extremes of rocking.

in order to integrate the rocker cams into a unit, there are providedcross members which are rigidly connected to the rocker cams. In theinstance shown there is a first cross member 54 provided between thetop-front corners of the rocker cams and a second cross member 56provided between the top-rear corners of the rocker cams. The crossmembers 54 and 56 also provide sites for mounting the lock mechanism 18and the side linkages 20, 22.

THE SIDE LINKAGES As pointed out initially, the side linkages 20 and 22are mirror images of one another about the front-torear central axis ofthe chair, excepting that the side linkage which is on the left as youstand near the footrest and face the chair back has some extracomponents which are used to control operation of the footrest.

The left side linkage will be discussed'in detail, then it will bepointed out which of its elements are omitted from the right sidelinkage. The side linkages, sometimes referred to as hardware in thetrade are made of stamped steel plate and are usually spray-painted flatblack. Parts subject to most wear may be hardened or toughened byconventional techniques as will be understood by those skilled in thisfield of technology.

The left side linkage 20 includes a mounting plate 58 having ahorizontal flange 60 and a vertical flange 62. The flange 60 is fixed onthe top of the rear cross member 56 with screws 64. The vertical flange62 has a first, horizontal-axis, inwardly extending pivot 66 near itsupper rear corner and a second, horizontal-axis, inwardly extendingpivot 68. Between the pivots 66 and 68 an outwardly extending stop boss70 is provided. This boss is engaged by a pivoting link during recliningof the chair back, which engagement stops further re clining of thechair back at full recline or full layout (a synonym).

The upper end of one leg of a V-shaped link 72 is pivotally secured tothe pivot 66; the upper end of another link 74 is pivotally secured tothe pivot 68. The lower ends of the links 72 and 74 respectively carryhorizontal-axis pivots 76 and 78 which, in turn, pivotally mountopposite ends of a link 84. The plate flange 62 plus the links 72, 74and 84 constitute a parallelogram linkage which comes into play as thechair back is reclined to produce an upward and forward movement of thechair seat and arm frame.

The chair back is mounted on the upstanding leg 80 of an Lshaped link 82whose omen-forwardly projecting leg 83 is provided with ahorizontal-axis pivot 86 near its outer end. A link 88 has its oppositeends mounted on the pivots 76 and 86 and bows laterally outwardlybetween the ends where it carries an intermediate horizontal-axis rivet90. The lower end connection of the link 88 to the pivot 76 is also afixed connection.

The rear leg 92 of the V-shaped link 72 carries a horizontal-axis pivot94 intermediate its ends. The L- shaped link 82 also carries ahorizontal-axis pivot 96 at the juncture of its legs. A link 98 has itsopposite ends mounted on the pivots 94 and 96. As the chair-user pushesback on the chair back to recline the chair back, the L-shaped link 82pivots downwardly about the pivot 86 which moves the pivot 96 downwardlyand forwardly, then upwardly. That motion, transmitted to the link 98causes the rear leg 92 of the V-shaped link 72 to move arcuately abountan upwardly concave arc. Because of the pivotal mountings at 66 and 68,the action just described translates the link 84 forwardly and upwardly.

A stop boss 100 provided at the upper end of the rear leg 92 of theV-shaped link 72 engages an intermediate portion of the link 98 to limiterectness of the chair back when the chair back is returned from areclined condition. The boss 100 is thus the opposite-extremecounterpart of the boss 70.

It should now be noticed that the link 84 projects a short distanceforwardly of the pivot 78; the projection 102 carries a horizontal-axismajor pivot 104. This pivot (104) also mounts a two-plane L-shaped link106 near the base of the leg 108 of the link that lies in a verticalplane. The other leg 110 of the link 106 extends inwardly and isprovided with bolt holes 1 1 1 for mounting one end region of the torquetube 24, via bolts 112. The pivot 104 also mounts the plate 114 and thelink 116. The links 106 and 116 are fixed on the pivot 104 to rotatewith it; the pivot 104is rotatable with respect to the plate 114 and thelink extension 102.

The link 116 is L-shaped in a vertical plane and has a fold in itslonger leg to produce an outwardly extending crank tab 118.,lt is thistab to which the operating handle 120 is secured via an angle iron/boxchannel in terrnediate assembly 122 secured to the back of thedecorative-wood handle.

The portions of the side linkage which are about to be described operatethe footrest and mount the seat and arm frame unit.

The left side edge of the underside of the seat of the latter is placedupon the horizontal plane flange 123 of the rail 124 and screwed inplace at 126. The central portion of the vertical plane flange 125 ofthe rail 124 is secured to the upper margin of the plate 114 with arivet 128 and a horizontal-axis rivet 130.

Basically, the footrest is caused to extend and retract by rotation ofthe operating handle 120, which rotates the box channel 122 about itsown longitudinal axis, which, in turn, arcs the vertical plane portionof the link 116 about the pivot 104 to which the link 116 is fixed.(Because of the fixation of the link 106 to the pivot 104 also, thisrotational motion is transmitted via the torque tube 24 to thecorresponding link 116 of the right side linkage.)

The lower end of the link 106 vertical leg 108 is provided with ahorizontal-axis pivot 132 (FIG. 12).

The lower edge of the plate 114 is arcuate, convex downwardly at 134,and proceeding forwardly is pro vided with two generally upwardly facingshoulders or notches 136, 138 and, uppermost, a deeper notch 140. Thepivot 132 has a long axis shank which mounts a tubular collar 142. Thecollar 142 is positioned to clear the arcuate surface 134.

The pivot 132 mounts an intermediate part of a link 144 whose forwardend carries a horizontally outwardly projecting pin 146 positioned toride along the surface 134 and to engage the shoulders 136, 138 and slot140.

The opposite end of the link 144 carries a horizontalaxis pivot 148which also mounts the lower end of the link 116 and receives the coilportion of a spring 150 whose one end fits through a slot opening 152 inthe link 116 near the pivot 148 and whose opposite end bears against thecollar 142 on the pivot 132. The spring is coiled in a sense to bias thepin 146 against the surface 134, the shoulders 136 and 138 and the slot140. (Items 134-140 are collectively referred to as the footrest controlcam.)

However, application of rearward rotational torque on the operatinghandle 120 causes rotation of the link 1 16 about the pivot 104, whichmoves the lower end of the link 116 rearwardly. This action moves thepivot 148 rearwardly causing the link 144 to pivot about the pivot 132,against the biasing action of spring 150 thus moving the pin 146 outaway from the surface 134, the shoulders 136, 138 and/or the slot 140 solong as that torque continues to be applied to the operating handle 120.

When the chair-user lets go of the operating handle, the relaxation ofthe torque permits the spring 150 to rotate the link 144 until the pin146 is back in engagement with the footrest control cam. It should beapparent that when the footrest is fully retracted, the pin 146 is inengagement with the surface 134, when the footrest is in its firstpartly extended position the pin 146 is in engagement with the shoulder136, when the footrest is in its second partly extended position the pin146 is in engagement with the shoulder 138 and when the footrest is inits fully extended condition the pin 146 is engaged in the slot 140.(Because of the shapes of the neighboring surfaces of footrest controlcam, the shoulders 136 and 138 can be considered to be outwardly openingslots which are easy to enter as the pin is moving from 134 toward 140,but impossible to slide out of in the reverse direction, absentoperation of the pin withdrawing mechanism just described.)

The portion of the side linkage mechanism for extending and retractingthe footrest includes modified lazy tongs comprising two links 154, 156which are spaced along the rail 124 to the vertical flange of whichtheir upper ends are pivoted at 158, 160. The lower end of the link 154carries a horizontal-axis pivot 162 which pivotally mounts the rear endof a long forwardly extending link 164. The link 156 projects below thelink 164 and has an intermediate portion pivotally secured to anintermediate portion of the link 164 by a horizontal-axis pivot 166. Itshould be noticed that the members pivoted to one another at the pivots162, 166, 160 and 158 constitute another parallelogram linkage.

The end of the link 156 which extends below the link 164 carries ahorizontal'axis pivot 168 which pivotally mounts the rear end of aforwardly and upwardly extending link 170. About three-fifths of the waytoward its forward end, the link 170 is provided with a horizontal-axispivot 172 which pivotally mounts the intermediate portion of a shortlink 174. The lower end of the link 174 is pivoted to the forward end ofthe link 164 by a horizontal-axis pivot 176. The upper end of the link174 is pivoted to the rear end of a forwardly projecting link 178 by ahorizontal axis pivot 179.

The link 178 crosses past the link 170 and has an intermediate portionpivotally secured to the primary footrest (closer footrest half)mounting bracket 180 by a horizontal-axis pivot 182. The forward end ofthe link 170 is pivotally secured to the primary footrest mountingbracket by a horizontal-axis pivot 184 which is located forwardly andupwardly from the pivot 182. The footrest hardware further includes asecondary footrest mounting bracket 186 which has an upper and a lowerhorizontal-axis pivot 188, 190, which respectively become rearmost andforemost when the footrest is fully extended. The primary footrestmounting bracket 180 has a lower horizontal-axis pivot 192 whichcorresponds to the pivot of the secondary footrest mounting bracket. Aparallelogram link 194 extends between pivotal mounting on the pivots184 and 188; another parallelogram link 196 extends between pivotalmounting on the pivots 192 and 190.

An operator link 198 for the footrest lazy tongs has a rear endpivotally secured to an intermediate portion of the link 154 by ahorizontal-axis pivot 200 and has a lower end pivotally secured to thehorizontal-axis pivot 132.

An operator link 202 for the secondary footrest (further footrest half)has one end pivotally secured to the forward end of link 178 by ahorizontal-axis pivot 204 and has its opposite end pivotally secured toan intermediate portion of the parallelogram link 196 by ahorizontal-axis pivot 206.

Whenthe footrest is fully retracted, the modified lazy tongs are verycompact; the secondary footrest lies tucked behind the primary footrest.As the footrest operating handle is rotated in a sense to extend thefootrest, the scissored links extend forwardly and upwardly until theyare almost aligned. During this activity, the parallelogram linkage at180, 194, 186, 196 operates to send the secondary footrest under, thenforwardly of the primary footrest as both footrest halves change from agenerally vertical disposition to a generally horizontal disposition.This action, and the lengths of the linkage elements 180, 194, 186, 196cause the footrest to be compact when stored, yet much more extensivewhen fully extended than conventionally constructed footrests.

In the preferred embodiments, the structures which have been describedas horizontal-axis pivots are steel pins, initially headed on one end,then axially squeezed to provide an enlargement at the distal end of theshank after being inserted through aligned openings in the parts to bepivotally secured to one another. The openings are sufficiently large toallow the desired pivoting and the squeezing is controlled to preventaxially binding the joint formed. Bushings, e.g., steel washers areinserted between most of the link ends on each pivot to enhance thepivotability of the joint and to reduce binding and wear.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE LINKAGES On the right side,the plate 114 is not as wide and does not have a footrest operating cam;the link 106 is omitted as are the link 144 and the spring 150 and theportion of the link 116 which extends below the pivot 104.

THE CHAIR BACK AND UPHOLSTERY In the preferred embodiment the chair back26 comprises a wooden frame covered with springing, stuffing andupholstery. At the lower extents of the sides, the chair back isprovided with brackets 208 for receipt of the upwardly projecting legs80 of the L-shaped links 82. It should now be noticed that the legs 80taper as they proceed upwardly; the channels 210 of the brackets 208taper in correspondence with the legs 80. Thus assembly of the chairback to the side linkages involves slipping the bracket 208 channels 210over the legs 80 and lowering the back until the legs have homed" in thechannels. Then screws 212 may be run through the aligned openings 214,216 to secure the back to the chair.

Note that both the chair back and the seat and arm frame can be fullymanufactured and upholstered before being installed on the chair.(Offline manufacture and upholstering of these units is consideredadvantageous because problems occurring during one operation need notaffect assembly.)

The ease of assembly of the back to the chair means the chair can beshipped in a knocked-down condition, i.e., with the back separatefromthe rest of the chair and packed with the rest of the chair in amuchmore compact box than could be the case if the chair were shipped fullyassembled.

In order to improve the appearance of the juncture of the chair seat andback as seen from behindthe chair while the chair back is erect, a flapof upholstery may be provided which extends from below the remainder ofthe chair back and zips onto the upholstery of the seat and arm framenear the lower rear marginal edge of the latter. The upholstery may alsoinclude side skirts on the seat and arm from sides and back to mask thechair hardware"; similar service may be performed by a flap ofupholstery extending from the chair seat front, below its cushion, tothe rear edge of the primary footrest, between the modified lazy tongsof the footrest operating portions of the side linkages. An other flap217 is shown flipped up from the primary footrest 30 to expose thesecondary footrest 32.

THE PLATFORM ROCKER SPRINGS These elements 16 are conventional unitswhich are conventionally secured to the insides of the cams and platformrocker base. They provide a datum for the chair in providing restorationforce means tending to return the chair, when rocked, to an intermediatecondition between rocked back and rocked forward.

THE PREFERRED LOCK MECHANISM It is important to note that, in thepreferred embodiment, the lock and side linkages are separate from oneanother and affect one another via the torque tube 24 to which both theside linkages and the lock are connected.

The preferred lock 18 is a unitary assembly which is mounted on theunderside of the front and rear cross members 54, 56 of the rocker camunit and is also connected to the torque tube to be operated throughtranslational and rotational movement of the torque tube with respect tothe rocker cam unit and the platform rocker base 12.

As shown, the lock 18 is relatively narrow in a sideto-side directionand relatively long in a front-to'back direction. It is installed at alocation laterally offset from the front-to-back center line of thechair, about halfway toward one of the rocker cams in order to shortenthe moment arm for flexure of the front rail 44 of the rocker cam basewhen the lock front skid presses down on it, to keep those portions ofthe lock which project upwardly from being directly under the partof theseat which is distended downwardly the most when someone is sitting inthe chair, and. in the instance where tolerances have not been fullyobserved. to minimize the effect of lifting of the cams 50 from theirrunning surfaces on the platform rocker base side rails when the lockoperates. (If the lock were right in the center of the chair, alift-offcould permit the chair to rock from side-to-side as the cams alternatelylanded on their respective running surfaces.) This is undesirable.Offset mounting predisposes that any lift-off will occur between the camand running surface which are nearest the lock. The lift-off, even whenit happens, is slight and the offset, will not produce lateralrockability.

The lock mechanism includes a right angle bracket 218 having ahorizontal" flange 220 screwed to the bottom of the rear cross member 56at 224. The bracket 218*also includes a vertical flange 226. A long link228 is riveted to the vertical flange 226 near the rear end of the link228; The forward end of the link 228 is bent over to produce a tab 230that is screwed to the underside of the front cross member 54 at 232.The link 228* is aligned in a vertical plane and is cut with a dipnearer its forward end. At the dip, a horizontal-axis pivot 234 iscarried by the link 228; An L- shaped link 236 is rotatably mounted onthe pivot 234 at the juncture of the legs of the link 236. The forwardend of the forward leg of the link 236-mounts a skid 238 made of nylonor the like to provide a relatively noiseless and lubricous, slightlyresilient touch-down for the lock mechanism with respect to the top ofthe front rail 44.

The rear end of the rear leg of the link 236 carries a horizontal-axispivot 240. The link 236 is oriented so its elbow is presenteddownwardly.

The rear end of the link 228 projects a short distance rearwardly beyondits mounting on the rear cross member 56 and at its end carries ahori2ontal-axis pivot 242. An L-shaped link 244 is pivotally mounted atits leg juncture region on the pivot 242. The elbow of the link 244faces forwardly or upwardly depending on the condition of the lock. Theleg of the link 244 which is at times lowermost and at times foremosthas its distal end provided with a horizontal-axis pivot 246. Theopposite leg ,distalend carries a roller assembly 248 mounted forrotation on a horizontal-axis pivot 250. As depicted, the rollerassembly 248 includes a pair of rollers, one on each flank of the link244 elbow. The rollers may be made of the same material as the skid 238and are positioned to land on the rear rail 46of the platform rockerbase during operation of the lock.

A long link 252 which is slightly crooked downwardly intermediate itsends has its forward end pivotally secured to the pivot 240 and its rearend pivotally secured to the pivot 246.

The lock elements which will now be described transmit movement from thetorque tube to the lock elements already described in order to operatethe lock. They include a C-shaped bracket 254 having its back alignedwith and bolted to one side of the hollow square-sectioned torque tube24.. One end of an L- shaped link 256 is pivotally secured to the end ofone leg of the bracket 254 by a horizontal-axis pivot 258. The other endof the L-shaped link 256 carries a horizontal-axis pivot 260.Intermediate its downward crook and its rear end, the link 228 carries ahorizontal-axis pivot 262. A link 264 which has an upward crook and alateral offset and return intermediate its ends has one end pivotallymounted at 262 and its other end pivotally mounted at 260. Within thelateral offset, the link 264 carries a horizontal-axis pivot 266. Thelink 252 carries a horizontal-axis pivot 268 at its downward crook and alink 270 is mounted so that one of its ends is pivoted at 266 and theother of its ends is pivoted at 268.

The other leg 272 of the C-shaped bracket 254 mounts a helper spring.The two legs of the bracket 254 could be on separated elements;providing them on the same element simplifies assembly of the chair. Theouter end of the short leg 272 carries a horizontal-axis pivot 274 whichpivotally mounts one end of a short link 276 whose opposite end carriesa horizontal-axis pivot 278. There is provided an arcuate link 280 whichhas one end pivotally mounted at 278 and which has an opening 282 in itsopposite end for receipt of one hooked end of a tensioning helper coilspring 284 whose opposite end is secured to the underside of the frontof the seat of the seat and arm frame for assisting in retraction of thefootrest. The links 276 and 280 can be considered as a composite linkarticulated at 278 in order to decrease the envelope of upward extensionof the composite link as the torque tube is operated, to correspondinglydecrease the space needed between the seat and the torque tube toaccommodate operation of that link.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation view ofa middle portion of the left side linkage. The structure depicted inthis figure should be compared with that shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 whichshow the comparable structure of the first embodiment. The DifferencesIn FIG. 3, the upper end of the link 154 is pivoted to the rail 124 bythe same pivot 158 which secures the rear extension of the upper end ofthe plate 114 to the rail. In the FIG. 11 embodiment, the upper end ofthe link 154 is pivoted to the rail 124 by a pivot 158 A, displacedsomewhat rearwardly compared to the location of the FIG. 3 pivot I58,and the rear of the upper end of the plate 114 has its rearwardextension eliminated and is secured to the rail 124 by a separate rivet158 B, displaced somewhat forwardly compared to the location of the FIG.3 pivot 158. Because of the elimination of the rearward extension on theplate 114, a significant saving of plate stock is realized.

In FIG. 3, the pivot 132 serves the dual purpose of providing a fulcrumfor the cam follower-bearing link 144 and a pivotal connection for thelower end of the footrest operator link and the lower end of the cranklink 108. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the pivot 132 has beendivided: the fulcrum function remains provided as it was, at 132 A, onlyon the left side linkage. The lower end of the crank line is extended ashort distance, e.g., a couple of inches, down past the fulcrum pivot132 A and is provided with a pivot 132 B to which the lower end of thefootrest operator link is connected.

Those skilled in the art of rocker-recliner chair hardware design willnow appreciate that moving the mounting 158 A rearwardly and the pivotI32 B downwardly relatively decreases the amount of footrest extensionthat occurs before the rocker cam unit is bucketed and the ability ofthe chair occupant to rock forwardly is fully inhibited.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PREFERRED LOCK Extending the Footrest Grasp theoperator handle and begin rotating it; this rotates the torque tube. Thefront skid drops preventing forward rock. Upon further rotation,bucketing begins and the rear roller is dropping. By the time the firstextension position of the footrest is reached, the rear roller haslanded; forward and rearward rocking are fully inhibited, i.e., thechair-user is supported in such a manner that he cannot rock. At thisstage most of the lock mechanism is in its final position. Furtherrotation of the handle relaxes the helper spring due to angular movementof its arcuate connector. The arcuate connector for the lock connectionto the torque tube wraps around the torque tube during this furtherrotation of the handle, losing motion with respect to the lock.

RECLINING WITH THE FOOTREST ALREADY EXTENDED The seat and arm frame moveupwardly and forwardly, with respect to the remainder of the chair,about the parallelogram portions of the side linkages. Motion betweenthe torque tube, which moves upwardly and forwardly with the seat andarm frame unit, and the lock which remains engaged as it was, isaccommodated in lost motion by unwrapping of the arcuate connector ofthe lock from about the torque tube.

RECLINING WITHOUT EXTENSION OF THE FOOTREST As the back is pushed downthe torque tube does not move with respect to the seat and arm frame; itmoves upwardly and forwardly with the seat and arm frame. The arcuateconnector of the lock is caused by upward and forward movement of thetorque tube to drop the front stabilizer, begin bucketing" then land therear roller. Full reclining of the back is achieved at just about thesame point in time as landing of the rear roller. If the footrest isextended after the back as been reclined, rotation of the torque tube bythe operating handle causes wrapping of the arcuate connector of thelock about the torque tube, in lost motion, without otherwise affectingthe lock.

LOWERING THE F OOTREST Grasp the operating handle and in one smoothmovement, rotate it forwardly to its initial angular disposition: thefootrest will smoothly return from a fully extended to a fully retractedcondition. Alternatively, grasp the operating handle, rotate itforwardly slightly, then let it go. It will then rotate further untilthe footrest position pin drops into the second extended position slotor shoulder on the footrest position cam. If desired, tap the handle fora second time; the pin will withdraw from the shoulder or notch and thefootrest will retract to its first extended position where the footrestposition pin drops into the first extended position shoulder or slot onthe footrest position cam. Tapping the operating handle forwardly athird time will cause the footrest to drop to a fully retractdcondition. Of course, the footrest may be brought directly from thesecond extended position to the fully retracted position by forwardrotation of the handle as explained under the preceding section. Also,the footrest may be raised from any intermediate position should theuser change his mind after partly retracting the footrest and decide toextend it.

DIFFERENCES FOR THE SWIVEL VARIANT With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 avariation of the preferred embodiment of the chair is shown modified andequipped for 360 swivelling about a vertical axis. FIG. 9 is a top planview of the modified platform rocker base; all of the preferredembodiment above the platform rocker base remains as depicted in theearlier Figures.

The base 12 is modified by omission of the supporting Outriggers 48; byinclusion of two laterally spaced box channels 290 with flat tabs 292(FIG. l) welded on opposite ends. The tabs 292 are pierced at 294 toaccept bolts 296 for securing the box channels to the undersides of thefront rail 44 and back rail 46. The channels 290 are sufficiently closeto one another that they do not interfere with normal operation of theplat form rocker springs 16 and sufficiently far apart that they do notinterfere with normal operation of the lock 18. The upper plate 298 of aswivel assembly 300 is secured to the channels 290 at 302. The lowerplate 304 of the swivel assembly 300 is secured at 306 on the topcenterof a large disk 308, e.g., of plywood or steel plate. The disk 308 has adiameter preferably almost as large as the largest diagonal width of thechair seat and arm frame. The large diameter of the'disk is whatobviates the need for the chair base Outriggers. Between the plates ofthe swivel assembly is a circular set of roller bearings (not depicted).Such swivel assemblies are presently commercially available,preassembled.

Operation of the swivel variant of the chair is as described in respectto the non-swivelling preferred embodiment, the swivelling capabilitybeing an additional feature.

It should now be apparent that the rocker recliner chair as describedherein above possesses each of the attributes set forth in thespecification under the heading SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION hereinbefore.Because the rocker recliner chair of the invention can be modified tosome extent without departing from the principles of the invention asthey have been outlined and explained in this specification, the presentinvention should be understood as encompassing all such modifications asare within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A rocker recliner chair, including: a base;

a rocker cam unit rockably mounted on the base;

a seat and arm frame unit;

a chair back;

a left side linkage and a right side linkage mounted on the rocker camunit;

the left and right side linkages each comprising a first parallelogramlinkage system for hangingly mounting the chair seat and arm frame unitfrom the rocker cam unit and including: first, rearmost and second,foremost, longitudinally spaced, transversely, horizontally extendingpivots fixedly mounted on the rocker cam unit at a respective sidethereof; a V-shaped link pivotally connected at the upper end of theforemost leg thereof to said first, rearmost pivot so as to hangtherefrom; another link pivotally connected at the upper end thereof tosaid second, foremost pivot so as to hang t 14 therefrom; a generallylongitudinally extending link having a first pivotal connection to theV-shaped link, rearwardly of the former and near the apex of the latterand having a second pivotal connection, to said other link, forwardly ofthe generally longitudinally extending link and near the lower end ofsaid other link; first and second longitudinally spaced, upwardlyextending members fixedly secured on the generally longitudinallyextending link; and a generally longitudinally extending rail secured onsaid first and second upwardly extending members; the chair seat and armframe unit being mounted on said rail of each of the left and right sidelinkages;

the left and right side linkages each further including a secondparallelogram linkage system including: said rail having first, rearmostand second, foremost, longitudinally spaced, transversely extendingpivots mounted thereon; a first depending link pivotally mounted to hangfrom said first pivot of said rail, a second depending link mounted tohang from said second pivot of said rail; and a long, generallyhorizontally, longitudinally extending link having a first pivotalconnection, to the first depending link, near the rear of the former andthe lower end of the latter and having a second pivotal connection, tothe second depending link, intermediate the ends of said long link andnear the lower end of the second depending link, the second dependinglink protruding below said long link;

the left and right side linkages each further including a footrestmounting lazy tong system, comprising: means defining a transverselyextending pivot at the lower end of said second depending link; meansdefining a transversely extending pivot at the for- ,ward end of saidlong link; a short, upwardly extending link having a pivotal connectionat the lower end thereof to said pivot at the forward end of said longlink; a forwardly end upwardly extending link having a pivotalconnection at the rear end thereof to said pivot at the lower end ofsaid second depending link; another forwardly extending link, having apivotal connection to the upper end of said short, upwardly extendinglink and projecting forwardly below the forward end of said forwardlyand upwardly extending link; footrest mounting bracket means secured onthe forward end of said other forwardly extending link and having atransversely extending pivot on said bracket means; the forward end ofsaid forwardly and upwardly extending link being pivotally connected tosaid pivot on the bracket means;

a footrest mounted between the bracket means of the left and right sidelinkages;

pivot means on each of said left and right side linkages, fixedlydisposed against translation thereon with respect to the rails;

a torque tube extending transversely between the left and right sidelinkages and pivotally mounted to each at the respective ends thereof bythe lastmentioned pivot means;

the left and right side linkages each further including an L-shaped seatback mounting link having a first leg that is directed upwardly when theseat back is erect; another transversely extending pivot means on eachof said left and right side linkages, fixedly disposed againsttranslation with respect to the rails and disposed near the rear extentof said rails; the second leg of each L-shaped seat back mounting link,near the forward extent thereof, being pivotally mounted on thelast-mentioned pivot means; and a second actuator link pivotallyconnected between the L-shaped seat back mounting link, near thejuncture of the two legs thereof, and the V- shaped link of said firstparallelogram linkage systern, near the free end of the rearmost legthereof, so that, as the chair back is reclined, the second actuatorlink is pushed forwardly, pushing the first parallelogram linkage systemin a sense to swing the chair seat and the torque tube forwardly andupwardly;

a crank link fixedly secured to each end of the torque tube and having aportion extending longitudinally therefrom for arcuate movement uponrotation of the torque tube;

the left and right side linkages each further including a lock disposedlaterally intermediate the side linkages;

a first lock element on the base and a second lock element on the seatand arm frame unit, one of said elements being pivotally mounted;

a link system pivotally interconnecting the torque tube and the one ofsaid lock elements which is pivotally mounted, for pivoting that lockelement in an arc about a horizontal axis upon rotation and upontranslation of said torque tube;

the other of the two described lock elements having means defining a camsurface placed to be engaged by the pivotally mounted lock element uponmovement of the torque tube in the rotational sense which producesextension of the footrest and upon movement of the torque tube in thetranslational sense which accompanies reclining of the chair back;

the axis about which the pivotally mounted lock element pivots being sodisplaced with respect to the spatial disposition of said cam surface onsaid other of the two described lock elements, that initial contactbetween the pivotally mounted lock element and said cam surface fullyinhibits forward rockability of the rocker cam unit with respect to saidbase and further movement of said torque tube in either of said sensesforces the rocker cam unit to rock backward on the base by apredetermined amount to bucket the chair occupant;

one of the side linkages further including: a footrest catch mechanism,comprising: a shield-like flange secured to the rail of that sidelinkage and depending therefrom; means defining a plurality ofperimetrically spaced notches along an edge of said flange; the pivotmeans which mount the respective end of the torque tube passing throughmeans defining an opening through said flange a generally right anglelink having two legs in two planes, one leg being securely mounted, nearthe juncture thereof with the other leg, on the last-mentioned pivotmeans; said one leg projecting longitudinally generally downwardlyadjacent the outboard face of said flange sufficiently that the free endthereof extends beyond the perimeter of said flange; said other legprojecting transversely and having an operating handle secured thereonto project generally longitudinally, crank fashion; another link,disposed adjacent the inboard face of said flange and having a followerpin projecting transversely therefrom for engagement in said notches inthe edge of said flange; pivot pin means pivotally interconnecting thefree end of said one leg of the right angle link to the link from whichthe follower pin projects, across the thickness of said flange; springmeans mounted between said one leg of the right angle link and the linkfrom which the follower pin projects, for biasing the follower pintoward the edge of said flange and thus toward reception in saidrecesses; and a further pivot pin means pivotally interconnecting thelink from which the fol lower pin projects and the longitudinallyextending portion of the crank link secured to the respective end of thetorque tube, at a point on said longitudinally extending portionintermediate the connection thereof to the torque tube and the pivotalsecurement of said portion to said first actuator link; the threerecited pivot means on the link from which the follower pin projectsbeing so disposed with respect to one another that when rotational forceis applied on the operating handle in a sense to retract the footrest,then this link is cocked against the restoration force provided by thespring means to temporarily withdraw the follower pin from the edge ofsaid flange and thus away from said recesses.

1. A rocker recliner chair, including: a base; a rocker cam unitrockably mounted on the base; a seat and arm frame unit; a chair back; aleft side linkage and a right side linkage mounted on the rocker camunit; the left and right side linkages each comprising a firstparallelogram linkage system for hangingly mounting the chair seat andarm frame unit from the rocker cam unit and including: first, rearmostand second, foremost, longitudinally spaced, transversely, horizontallyextending pivots fixedly mounted on the rocker cam unit at a respectiveside thereof; a V-shaped link pivotally connected at the upper end ofthe foremost leg thereof to said first, rearmost pivot so as to hangtherefrom; another link pivotally connected at the upper end thereof tosaid second, foremost pivot so as to hang therefrom; a generallylongitudinally extending link having a first pivotal connection to theV-shaped link, rearwardly of the former and near the apex of the latterand having a second pivotal connection, to said other link, forwardly ofthe generally longitudinally extending link and near the lower end ofsaid other link; first and second longitudinally spaced, upwardlyextending members fixedly secured on the generally longitudinallyextending link; and a generally longitudinally extending rail secured onsaid first and second upwardly extending members; the chair seat and armframe unit being mounted on said rail of each of the left and right sidelinkages; the left and right side linkages each further including asecond parallelogram linkage system including: said rail having first,rearmost and second, foremost, longitudinally spaced, transverselyextending pivots mounted thereon; a first depending link pivotallymounted to hang from said first pivot of said rail, a second dependinglink mounted to hang from said second pivot of said rail; and a long,generally horizontally, longitudinally extending link having a firstpivotal connection, to the first depending link, near the rear of theformer and the lower end of the latter and having a second pivotalconnection, to the second depending link, intermediate the ends of saidlong link and near the lower end of the second depending link, thesecond depending link protruding below said long link; the left andright side linkages each further including a footrest mounting lazy tongsystem, comprising: means defining a transversely extending pivot at thelower end of said second depending link; means defining a transverselyextending pivot at the forward end of said long link; a short, upwardlyextending link having a pivotal connection at the lower end thereof tosaid pivot at the forward end of said long link; a forwardly endupwardly extending link having a pivotal connection at the rear endthereof to said pivot at the lower end of said second depending link;another forwardly extending link, having a pivotal connection to theupper end of said short, upwardly extending link and projecTingforwardly below the forward end of said forwardly and upwardly extendinglink; footrest mounting bracket means secured on the forward end of saidother forwardly extending link and having a transversely extending pivoton said bracket means; the forward end of said forwardly and upwardlyextending link being pivotally connected to said pivot on the bracketmeans; a footrest mounted between the bracket means of the left andright side linkages; pivot means on each of said left and right sidelinkages, fixedly disposed against translation thereon with respect tothe rails; a torque tube extending transversely between the left andright side linkages and pivotally mounted to each at the respective endsthereof by the last-mentioned pivot means; the left and right sidelinkages each further including an Lshaped seat back mounting linkhaving a first leg that is directed upwardly when the seat back iserect; another transversely extending pivot means on each of said leftand right side linkages, fixedly disposed against translation withrespect to the rails and disposed near the rear extent of said rails;the second leg of each L-shaped seat back mounting link, near theforward extent thereof, being pivotally mounted on the last-mentionedpivot means; and a second actuator link pivotally connected between theL-shaped seat back mounting link, near the juncture of the two legsthereof, and the Vshaped link of said first parallelogram linkagesystem, near the free end of the rearmost leg thereof, so that, as thechair back is reclined, the second actuator link is pushed forwardly,pushing the first parallelogram linkage system in a sense to swing thechair seat and the torque tube forwardly and upwardly; a crank linkfixedly secured to each end of the torque tube and having a portionextending longitudinally therefrom for arcuate movement upon rotation ofthe torque tube; the left and right side linkages each further includinga first actuator link pivotally secured at one end thereof to arespective last-mentioned crank link longitudinally extending portionand pivotally secured at the other end thereof to one of the links ofsaid second parallelogram linkage systems, so that rotation of thetorque tube produces arcuate movement at the longitudinally extendingportions of the last-mentioned crank links, to move said first actuatorlinks, which, by acting on the second parallelogram linkage systems,extend and retract the footrest; a lock disposed laterally intermediatethe side linkages; a first lock element on the base and a second lockelement on the seat and arm frame unit, one of said elements beingpivotally mounted; a link system pivotally interconnecting the torquetube and the one of said lock elements which is pivotally mounted, forpivoting that lock element in an arc about a horizontal axis uponrotation and upon translation of said torque tube; the other of the twodescribed lock elements having means defining a cam surface placed to beengaged by the pivotally mounted lock element upon movement of thetorque tube in the rotational sense which produces extension of thefootrest and upon movement of the torque tube in the translational sensewhich accompanies reclining of the chair back; the axis about which thepivotally mounted lock element pivots being so displaced with respect tothe spatial disposition of said cam surface on said other of the twodescribed lock elements, that initial contact between the pivotallymounted lock element and said cam surface fully inhibits forwardrockability of the rocker cam unit with respect to said base and furthermovement of said torque tube in either of said senses forces the rockercam unit to rock backward on the base by a predetermined amount tobucket the chair occupant; one of the side linkages further including: afootrest catch mechanism, comprising: a shield-like flange secured tothe rail of that side linkage and depending therefrom; means defining aplUrality of perimetrically spaced notches along an edge of said flange;the pivot means which mount the respective end of the torque tubepassing through means defining an opening through said flange agenerally right angle link having two legs in two planes, one leg beingsecurely mounted, near the juncture thereof with the other leg, on thelast-mentioned pivot means; said one leg projecting longitudinallygenerally downwardly adjacent the outboard face of said flangesufficiently that the free end thereof extends beyond the perimeter ofsaid flange; said other leg projecting transversely and having anoperating handle secured thereon to project generally longitudinally,crank fashion; another link, disposed adjacent the inboard face of saidflange and having a follower pin projecting transversely therefrom forengagement in said notches in the edge of said flange; pivot pin meanspivotally interconnecting the free end of said one leg of the rightangle link to the